Managing money can be difficult no matter where we live, and in many cases, it feels like we spend our cash before we earn it. In fact, Nielsen reports that globally, we save or invest just 10 percent of our monthly income on average. Is that enough? How prepared are we for an unexpected household emergency, health issue or job loss? What about long-term financial security and saving for our children’s future?

To help understand consumer sentiment around these questions, Nielsen conducted a global study that polled more than 30,000 Internet respondents in 60 countries about current and future financial goals and the strategies we use to prepare for them. The findings revealed that the glass was half full for nearly seven out of 10 global respondents (69%), as they believed they would achieve all of their financial goals for the future. Yet, of those, only 28 percent felt that their current financial planning would get them there. The remaining majority of confident respondents (41%) were less self-assured, conceding that they would need to closely monitor and adjust investments from time to time to best meet their financial expectations. On the other hand, nearly one-third of global respondents (31%) said they have no confidence they will meet their financial goals with either current or modified asset allocations.

Overall, financial confidence was highest in Asia-Pacific, where more than two-thirds (78%) of respondents said their planning was sound and on track for the future (32% were satisfied with their current plan and 46% plan to make adjustments). Financial planning was also in good standing among two-thirds of respondents in Middle East/Africa (67%), North America (66%) and Latin America (62%), as about one-fourth in each region said they are satisfied with their existing strategies.

Brighter Days Ahead for Investors

“There’s always tomorrow” captures the attitude of global respondents, who by and large plan to invest to meet financial goals in the future, rather than actively save now. Across 14 saving goals reviewed, respondents’ intentions to save in the future were stronger than active intentions for all but one financial goal—saving for health-related issues, whereby global active savers outnumbered future savers by just 1 percentage point (42% active savers vs. 41% future savers).

Overall, plans to save in the future were strongest among respondents in the Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East/Africa regions, especially with respect to intentions to fund their children’s futures, higher education, first- and second-time property purchases, personal luxuries, financial legacy and new businesses.

“The greater number of respondents planning to save in the future versus saving now suggests an opportunity to better educate consumers on saving and investment strategies that will help them meet their financial goals,” said Oliver Rust, senior vice president, Global Financial Services, Nielsen. “It also shines a light on the growing wealth accumulation among consumers in the more developing regions of the world and their aspirations for upward mobility with a more secure financial future.”

About the Global Survey Methodology

The findings in this survey are based on respondents with online access across 60 countries. While an online survey methodology allows for tremendous scale and global reach, it provides a perspective only on the habits of existing Internet users, not total populations. In developing markets where online penetration has not reached majority potential, audiences may be younger and more affluent than the general population of that country. Additionally, survey responses are based on claimed behavior, rather than actual metered data.